Mavericks have no secret formula: Just defend, rebound, says Carlisle

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Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle yells from the sidelines during the second half of an NBA basketball game Phoenix Suns, Saturday, April 12, 2014, in Dallas. Dallas won 101-98. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

SAN ANTONIO — If there were any secret weapons to break out, Rick Carlisle wouldn’t tell anybody.

But there aren’t. The bottom line for the Mavericks in their first-round series against top-seeded San Antonio is they simply have to play their best to have a chance of pulling the upset.

“There’s no gimmicks to beating a No. 1 seed in the playoffs,” Carlisle said. “You’ve got to do the basic things extremely well. You’ve got to have great energy, and you’ve got to have consistency throughout your defensive possessions.

“These guys [the Spurs] keep playing and playing. And that’s where they get people. Our staying power on defensive possessions and our rebounding are going to be big. We were minus-11 rebounds a game against these guys in the regular season, and we’ve got to make up the difference. I don’t think there are any tricks.”

Not unless boxing out to get rebounding position is considered some sort of trick.

The Mavericks stayed close to the Spurs in the rebounding department in only one of their four losses this season. Not coincidentally, that was the only game in which the Mavericks stayed relatively close.

“We have to be physical with them and box out,” said Vince Carter. “It doesn’t matter who’s out there, we have to keep those guys off the glass. They’re great at getting second-chance points that turn into 3-point shots. They’ve dominated us on the glass, so we have to make a conscious effort.”

That also means Samuel Dalembert has to stay on the floor, which at times has been a problem late in the season because he’s picked up quick fouls.

“We want him to be smart,” Carter said. “When we can keep him on the floor, it helps us.”

Said Carlisle of Dalembert: “Sam’s an important guy for us. It hurt us the other night [in Memphis] when he went out. And he knows that. We’ve got to encourage him to keep his length in the game and avoid the unnecessary fouls where you don’t get much bang for your buck.”

Older, the better: The Mavericks and Spurs will have a combined nine players with at least 10 years of experience in the NBA.

“It’s an old man’s game,” Carter said with a laugh. “You look around, we’ve played against each other on many different teams many times. And here we are again. It makes for a great series. It’s like playing against your old friend that you always want to beat. Hopefully, we can pull it off.”

Dialing long distance: The Spurs led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage this season, and it will be a challenge for the Mavericks to chase their gunners around on the arc.

“We’ve got to do a better job of taking away the easy 3-point shots, and they got a lot of them in transition, so our transition defense has to be better,” Carlisle said. “It’s a hard matchup. There’s no doubt about that. But that’s what this league is about, taking on big challenges.”

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